


you would wish and long

by ahtohallan_calling



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Collaboration, Fluff, Ingrid works her magic, M/M, Pining, Unrequited Love, gonna make sure Uncle Ry gets a happy ending too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahtohallan_calling/pseuds/ahtohallan_calling
Summary: Ryder plans to spend the rest of his life herding reindeer and pining for the king of Arendelle.His niece has a better idea.
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney), Kristoff & Ryder Nattura, Ryder/Original Character
Comments: 23
Kudos: 50





	1. prologue: down the aisle

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a collaboration between myself, @frozenwritingcorner, and @gabiwnomagic. Art will be coming soon :)
> 
> Ingrid belongs to Jilly and Gabi :)

_Left, right, left, right, toss._

She was only to the fourth pew, and already it felt like half the basket was gone. The aisle felt a lot shorter when she was running around playing hide and seek. Thinking about that her feet sped up a little bit, getting off beat, and she forgot to throw a handful of petals, and she bit her lip and wished all these people would just turn back around and face the front.

_Okay, Ingrid. Two steps, toss._

It’s hard to toss the little flowers when your hands are sticky with sweat. She wished Aunt Elsa had just made stuff out of snow like everything else, but Honey had said that this kind of flowers had been part of the proposal so it was special. Everyone had gotten all cheesy about that then, and Ingrid had made a face, but they just laughed.

She accidentally tossed twice and felt her face turning red. She wasn’t even halfway there. Papa had asked her during practice if she wanted him to walk with her. “I’m a big girl,” she’d insisted, “I can go by myself.” 

She didn’t really feel like a big girl right now. She felt like a little mouse scrambling up the aisle trying not to ruin everything. Probably everyone in Arendelle and the forest was there, and it felt like they were all watching her. If Aunt Elsa and Honey just hurried up, they’d all just turn and look at _them_. They both looked so pretty Ingrid had told them they looked better than all the princesses in storybooks, even the ones in the big book of fairy tales that had gold on the edges. 

“Even Cinderella?” Honey had asked with a big smile, and Ingrid had smiled back because Honey _remembered_ that that was her favorite even though she had only told her once. It made her feel warm somehow, like she had taken a bite right out of the sun. She had hugged Honey then, trying her best not to rumple her dress, but Honey had pulled her up into her arms and given her a big squeeze.

“Is it okay for me to be your aunt now?” she had asked, sounding a little shy which was silly because Ingrid had kind of thought she already was. 

She had said as much, and then Honey had cried a little and kissed her cheek and gotten it all wet, but that was okay. She was used to Mama doing stuff like that anyway.

Mama would know what to do right now. Whenever she made a mistake or felt nervous, she just kept going and smiled and everyone smiled back. Not just because she was the queen, because they loved her. Mama would _definitely_ know how to fix the little ice tiara that Aunt Elsa had made special, the one that felt like it was tipping dangerously to the left. Ingrid’s hand flew up to catch it on instinct, and the basket fell.

There was a little gasp from the people sitting next to her. Ingrid froze, feeling her face get all hot, especially behind her eyes. _Step step toss_ , it wasn’t _hard_ , but still she’d messed it up somehow on the most important day _ever_ and now everyone was _looking_ and her heart was pounding and she still hadn’t picked up the basket. She stood there, feeling her hands shake a little bit as she stared down at the spilled petals right next to her new pink shoes. Then, somehow, there was a pair of black shoes right next to them, much bigger than hers, with scuffs on the toes.

“May I escort you?” she heard someone whisper, and she dared to peek up and found a pair of friendly blue eyes smiling at her, offering a wide hand. Ingrid took it shyly, picking up the basket in the other hand. At least now that she’d lost all the flowers she didn’t have to worry about tossing. 

She dared to peek up at her rescuer. It was Honey’s– _Aunt_ Honey’s– little brother, the one who always made Papa laugh until he doubled over. She had loved him already just for that– well, that and because he had promised to teach her how to talk for the reindeer sometime– but now her heart felt so big and full of thank-yous she had to squeeze his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Ryder,” she said in her best quiet voice, the one she and Mama had practiced together because neither of them was very good at it.

He looked down at her and gave her a little wink. “No problem,” he whispered back. He wasn’t very good at it either.

The aisle was a lot shorter now that she had someone to walk with. She was supposed to stand off to the side where the other girls were, but when she didn’t let go of Mr. Ryder’s hand right away he just scooped her up and stood with her on his own side. Now that they were at the front she could see Mama and Papa on the front row. She gave them both a little wave, her heart bursting with pride. They smiled at her really big, like they were proud, too.

Then the music got really loud and everyone stood up. At the back of the church both of her aunts stood hand in hand, smiling so bright it reminded her of snow on a sunny day. Ingrid couldn’t look away from them, and it seemed like no one else could, either, even when the old man in the robes and the lady with the long white hair were talking about stuff that seemed pretty important, judging by how many big words they said. 

But finally, she heard the man say, “You may kiss– well, each other,” and she knew what that part meant. She cheered, clapping her hands, and felt Mr. Ryder squeeze her a little closer. She didn’t mind; she had peeked up at him one time during all the talking and saw that his eyes were extra shiny, so he probably needed all the hugs he could get. Ingrid put her arms around his neck as they followed the brides back out the double doors. “Mr. Ryder?” she said, glad that everyone was cheering loud enough that she didn’t have to worry about whispering any more.

“Yeah?”

“Are you my uncle now?”

It took him a moment to respond. “I– I think that’s how it works, yeah. Is that okay?”

Ingrid nodded, and he grinned really big like he did whenever the reindeer did a new trick he’d just taught them. She almost didn’t want him to set her down, but then Mama and Papa were there in their extra-fancy clothes, and she ran to them, grinning ear to ear.

“I did it!” she crowed, all her earlier nerves forgotten, as Mama knelt down and wrapped her into a hug.

“That’s my girl,” she said, speckling her face with kisses, and for once, Ingrid didn’t mind.


	2. teacups and longing

  
  


Ryder had a very important meeting with the royal family of Arendelle, and he was absolutely determined not to be late. The princess was expecting him and, judging by her most recent letter, she had urgent matters to discuss. Unless he’d looked at it upside down again and the drawing wasn’t actually a portrait of him surrounded by exclamation points and was in fact a two-headed reindeer. Either way, though, the tea cup was unmistakable. 

The tea parties had become something of a regular occurrence ever since his sister’s wedding last winter, when Ingrid had been the flower girl and been so nervous she’d dropped her basket and panicked. Ryder hadn’t even stopped to think; he’d just gone right down the aisle and offered to escort her the rest of the way. She’d clung to him the rest of the ceremony and asked if he was her uncle now, and ever since he’d been wrapped around her little finger. 

(He’d found out later that technically he wasn’t her uncle at all, but when he’d nervously brought this up to Anna, she’d just laughed. “I’m the Queen,” she’d said, “I’ll just make it an official title if it makes you feel better.”)

He had known Ingrid since she’d been a baby, of course, but back then he’d existed on the fringes of the royal family, relevant only because Honeymaren was. He saw them every couple of months when they came to visit in the forest; he always made sure to be around when they got there with his reindeer at the ready. He liked to be the first one to greet them, using his status as the excitable little brother to excuse his enthusiasm whenever he could hear Kristoff’s laughter echoing through the forest.

He was lost in brooding when he nearly ran into a figure scurrying down the hallway. “Shit-- sorry!”

“Oh! Ryder! How’ve you been?” 

It was Anna, who, although she was clearly on her way to something important, was still coming towards him with a bright smile. That was the part that always made him feel the worst, that she genuinely _liked_ him, and he liked her back. How could he not? She was all welcoming smiles and heartfelt compliments and peals of sparkling laughter, all warmth and sunshine; no wonder Arendelle-- and, more pertinently, its king— orbited around her.

It made him sick, sometimes, when she smiled at him like this, not knowing how many nights he laid awake wishing that her family was _his_ . Then again, maybe by now, she _did_ know; it wouldn’t surprise him if she’d known ever since the day they’d all met.

Anna’s smile faltered a little when he didn’t respond, so he forced a huge smile and threw his arms around her. “Hey! I’m good, all good here, like always, just, uh, busy with the reindeer.”

“Yeah? Kristoff’s been telling me about how well the herd’s doing this year. That’s _amazing,_ Ryder, you really have a way with them.”

It would be so much easier if she wasn’t so damn _nice_. He patted her shoulder and pulled away. “Well, you know. Spend your whole life trapped in a forest, not really anything to do but befriend the animals.”

She faltered at that, a little flash of guilt in her eyes; she still hadn’t quite forgiven herself and her family for what had happened to the Northuldra and the forest spirits all those years ago. Ryder hastily added, “Thanks, though. Um, anyway-- I’m here to see--”

“Ingrid, yes! She’s been looking forward to it all week. She’s in her playroom. I’d go up with you, but, well…”

She bit her lip, tilting her head towards the set of heavy wooden doors that led to the council room. “Right, yeah, no worries. Good seeing you, Anna.”

Ryder set off for the part of the castle reserved for the royal family, shoving his hands in his pockets. It used to make him nervous wandering the castle halls like this; every person he passed in fancy clothes reminded him that he didn’t belong. And it was weird being surrounded by so many _walls_ all the time; he could never figure out why people would ever _choose_ to box themselves in like this. He mounted the stairs, trying to tamp down that little flutter of anticipation in his stomach that hadn’t faded a bit over the years. As he turned the corner, he could already hear them; that rolling, deep laugh he would do-- and had done-- anything to hear, and a little voice squealing, “Papa! Do it again!”

He leaned around the doorframe and saw them there; Kristoff was tossing Ingrid in the air to her great delight, both of them overcome with laughter. Something in Ryder’s chest constricted at the tender way Kristoff caught her, his broad arms that could easily hoist up an injured reindeer holding his daughter so very gently. 

He cleared his throat, feeling like an intruder despite having been invited, and Ingrid’s eyes lighted on him. “Uncle Ry!” she shrieked, already clambering down from her father’s arms. “You’re here!” 

She ran to him, and he knelt down to catch her in a tight hug. “Hey, Bug,” he said, and this time he didn’t have to fake a smile. “Long time, no see.”

“Did you miss me?”  
“Duh. You’re my best friend. What’ve you been up to?”

“I go to school now!”

He grinned and ruffled her hair. “I heard. You’re growing up pretty fast, huh?”

“Yeah! Soon I’ll be as tall as Papa!”

“Maybe aim for being as tall as your mom first, huh?”

Kristoff chuckled at that, and something warm sparked in Ryder’s chest, just as it always did when he heard that laugh and knew he was the source of it. Ingrid was rather less amused and stuck out her tongue, just the way Anna did when Ryder teased her, and there was that painful little twist in his heart again, the reminder that he was an interloper in a family that was perfectly happy on its own. 

He felt a little tug on his hand then and looked down to see that Ingrid had, apparently, already forgiven him. “Sit by _me_ , Uncle Ry,” she said, as authoritative as a tiny blond kindergartener with a bandage on her elbow could be, and he did, perching on one of the little pink chairs that he and Kristoff had once spent an afternoon reinforcing because apparently nothing else would do for a proper princess’s tea party.

Kristoff sat on Ingrid’s other side, and she carefully poured them each a cup of tea. Ryder had worried at the first such tea party that she’d burn herself, but to his great relief, her parents always made sure that the pot was brought up nice and lukewarm. He didn’t mind; he didn’t actually _like_ tea all that much, and neither did Ingrid, but she insisted on having it. “This is how Mama talks to her friends,” she had explained. “So we have to do it this way.”

He accepted his cup gladly and took a tiny sip, trying not to crack the delicate porcelain handle in his clumsy fingers; across the table Kristoff was doing the same. Some things never changed; despite years of fancy parties, the king of Arendelle was still a mountain man at heart, and the thought made Ryder’s heart ache. 

“Uncle Ry! You’re not listening!”

He glanced down at a very disgruntled princess. “Oh— sorry, Bug, what were you saying?”

“I’m the best at school. I already know the letters and most of the numbers. Mr. M says I’m a promising poople.”

Kristoff snorted into his tea and coughed to cover it. “ _Pupil_ , baby, I told you this.”

“No, he definitely said poople. And Mr. M is right about everything.”

“Your majesty?” 

The three of them looked up in unison, but Gerda was only looking at Kristoff. “The twins are awake, and, ah, I’m afraid our Peder won’t settle down. Think it’s another new tooth coming in.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryder saw Ingrid deflate just a little. He couldn’t blame her; he knew that ever since the twins had been born she’d hardly seen her father at all. The pair of them had been inseparable since the day she was born, and now all at once there were two squalling little brothers to share him with.

“Sorry, Inga,” Kristoff said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before getting to his feet. “Save me some strawberry cake, yeah?”

Ingrid nodded, just barely, not meeting his gaze. He hesitated for a moment and then knelt back down, wrapping her in a tight hug. She snuffled pitifully into his shirt; Ryder met his eyes then, smiling sympathetically even as an old, familiar crack opened in his chest. It was too easy sometimes to pretend that he belonged with them, that when the tea party ended he wouldn’t have to come up with a reason to stay; but here was another reminder her that he was just a visitor, at best a stand-in when everyone important was otherwise occupied.

A plaintive little wail came from down the hallway then, and Kristoff pulled away from Ingrid, planting one last kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll tell you an extra story tonight, Inga. Promise.”

And with that he was gone, not even sparing Ryder a second glance. He swallowed his disappointment and turned to Ingrid, who had crossed her arms on the table and buried her face in them. “Hey, c’mon, Bug, it’ll be okay.”

A sad little response came, too muffled for him to make out what she was saying. He leaned over and tugged at her hands. “Ingabug, c’mon. I’m still here, right? So we can still have fun?”

She snuffled into her sleeve before turning to him and clambering into his lap, her little arms going around his neck just like they had when he’d rescued her at the wedding. “Brothers are stupid.”

“Pretty sure your Aunt Honey says the same thing about me.”

Ingrid hiccuped. “No, she doesn’t. She says you’re a raving lutanic.”

“She said _wh—_ okay, that’s beside the point. She still loves me, and even though we annoy each other we’re still best friends.”

“I thought _I_ was your best friend.”

“Oh— well, you’re my _bestest_ friend, so that’s better, anyway.”

“Mr. M says bestest isn’t a word.”

“Well, maybe he’s not right about everything after all.”

Ingrid giggled and pulled away a little. Ryder tweaked her nose affectionately, and she laughed again. “Anyway, our tea is getting cold. Tell me more about school while we eat our snacks, yeah? Are they teaching you anything about reindeer?”

As it turned out, they were, and they spent the next twenty minutes in deep discussion over the subject and whether or not Mr. M was able to talk to reindeer just like Papa and Uncle Ry. They were interrupted by a little knock on the doorframe; Kristoff had returned, a twin on each hip. 

“Hope you saved room for dinner, Inga.”

“Papa!” 

She squealed and ran to him, hugging him around the knee. Ryder came over and took one of the twins so that Kristoff could tousle his daughter’s hair before looking up at him with a grin. 

“Stay for dinner, Ryder, won’t you?”

“I— yeah, yeah, sure, if it’s not a problem.”

“Course not. Always room for you at tea parties and at supper.”

He offered Ryder that lopsided grin, the one that still made his knees go weak. “And thanks for hanging out today. Don’t know what we’d do without you.”

And suddenly Ryder was the one who wanted to cry. 


End file.
